Monday, February 6, 2012

“Impossible is just a big word, thrown around by small men, who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given, than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

In today’s world, we know that there are no boundaries or barriers to what we can do, save those that exist in our mind. Yet nothing has changed over the past century, the oceans haven’t become shallower, the continents haven’t drifted closer, the mountains haven’t grown shorter, the skies haven’t descended towards the surface, nor have people grown any stronger. If there is anything that has changed, it’s the mind of man. The mind has slowly yet surely been climbing a staircase, where each step allows it to see some more of the light, to ascend a few more inches towards its inherent nature, the unlimited.

The power of one, the individual, is being realised by a greater fraction of the population every day. Today, mainstream movies like 3 Idiots broadcast messages to make education meaningful and enjoyable, and to strive for excellence in one’s chosen field, rather than toeing the parental or societal line.

Ten-year-olds can make their own movies, career choices are unlimited, and retirement isn’t the end of the line. Anyone can take up a cause thanks to social networking sites, and make a difference to the state of the world.

Annie Besant once said that there were two possible reactions on seeing something that was wrong. One was to say, “Someone should do something about it,” and walk on, and the other was to say, “I will do something about it.” Astutely she observes, “There is an aeon of evolution that lies between the two attitudes.”

Today, more are saying, “I will do something about it,” and that is a beacon of great hope for the world. For the next revolution is an inside-out phenomenon, not an outside-in one, and only empowered individuals can participate in it. Technology being the trigger, pushing it beyond the point of stable growth, to an almost vertical exponential growth, has catapulted the individual capacity for growth as well. Another point to be noted is that since individuals are relating directly with information and technology, rather than having them routed through an authority figure such as a teacher, a parent or the government, empowerment is happening at the individual level.

The zeitgeist has moved from “I can’t” to “I can and I will”. Famous Austrian psychiatrist, holocaust survivor and author Victor Frankl writes in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, that as long as we have the ‘why’ to live, the ‘how’ will follow. Empowering this ‘how’, all we need now is the correct ‘why’, the right reason and direction to go on.

We, in India, are particularly experiencing an empowerment, which comes partially from having moved away from mental enslavement, created by centuries of foreign rule, as well as the feeling that the axis of power is moving in our direction. In a recent study, a majority of Indians felt good about being Indian and were optimistic about the future. This empowerment is, in turn, reflected in a greater confidence about our abilities, and a greater sense of self-worth.

The net worth

By the individual, for the individual and of the individual, that is what I like to think of the internet as. The internet, or the net, is the most powerful tool for realising your own individuality. While familiarity with the computer is all that’s required, the net throws open doors to unlimited avenues for expression and knowledge. A blog, or a ‘web log’, is a web page maintained by an individual who regularly updates it with commentary, opinions, experiences, either in text, audio or video form. Blogs are extremely popular, powerful ways to express yourself, and get your views across. The blogs of popular icons are voraciously read the world over.

The advent of technology has considerably eroded the power of the media. Their word is no longer law. The bias of the fourth estate, its inability to be everywhere and its tendency to trivialise news reportage has spurred citizens to get their daily dose of news through SMS polls, amateur news photography, chat rooms, message boards, wikis, cellphone cameras and blogs. News is not only verified but also indigenously sourced from individual sources. Today, media houses encourage patrons to send them their stories, information, views, and insights so as to extend their network to the grassroots level. One of the most popular examples of citizen journalism recently, is the photography of the longest solar eclipse of the millennium that took place on January 15, 2010. Indian citizen journalism portal Meri News ranks fifth in the world in the participatory news category.

Citizen initiatives seem to be the way to go when a change is required. One example of this is a group of six citizens from Mumbai who met the municipal commissioner of the BMC earlier this year, to discuss plans to solve the city’s water crisis. They have short-, medium-, and long-term plans, which can be implemented to preserve this precious liquid.

The Right To Information Act, 2005, is a revolutionary step in empowering the individual to demand transparency and openness in governance. The step was taken up by the Department of Personnel and Training and the Ministry of Personal, Public Grievances and Pensions, to allow citizens access to government records. As an active step in ensuring that the government is accountable to the people, this Act has found large support from the people and was used as soon as it was enforced. Although rarely written about in the news, since it consists mainly of small individual stories that aren’t very captivating, the RTI Act has made a difference to those who have used it.

A successful social audit of the rural employment scheme in Bihar helped the villagers of the Araria district learn how money was being siphoned off and shown as wages. In a similar case in Solapur, a district collector discovered a fraud running into crores of rupees through the Employment Guarantee Schemes. With an MA in Social Work, Chandrakant Sasane applied for a lecturer's post in a Mumbai college but did not hear from them. Through the RTI Act, he found out that the Mumbai University had selected him for the job, but the college disregarded the order since he was blind. In such ways, this act is helping out the otherwise forgotten section of society to demand an answer.

The do-it-yourself phenomenon, which started off as an attempt to repair rundown American homes, has branched out into diverse fields. There are self-published books, artists releasing self-funded albums, independent computer game developers, motorcycle assembly and modification kits, and so on.

Self-reliance and self-determination are on the rise in any field of life. People are no longer satisfied with rote living; they want to take control of their lives. Jobs need to be more than just a means to earn; they need to stimulate the person at a deeper level. Vacations are not just about relaxation and sightseeing; people want to experience the soul of the locale. The shedding of an overt need for structure and control in one’s life, is allowing more flexibility and balance, helping gain more satisfaction and meaning from life.

Just as fire burns out the dross and allows only the essence to rise up, when we evolve, we shed part of our dross nature and grow lighter. What surrounds us is only a reflection of what lies inside us. When all we feel inside is fear or anxiety, everything we do will reflect it. But when we feel empowered, everyone around us, our society, will show the same. It is through this feeling, when each one realises their latent power, their latent strength that the individual rises and raises society along with him.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The ultimate end, and purpose of all life and activity is to realize the free and blissful state of our true being. True philosophy in Jainism should result in removing all bondages (karmas) in the process of purifying of the soul.

The central theme of Jainism considers religion as a science of ethical practice. It conceives the human body as a chariot on which the soul rides towards liberation.

The conduct of the present life should be aimed to attain total freedom from which there is no return to the birth and death cycle.

Every soul can attain godhood, i.e., supreme spiritual individuality by realizing its intrinsic purity and perfection.

An individual, in his conduct can be guided by the examples of five benevolent personalities (panch parameshthi). They are:

supreme human beings (arihantas)

pure or perfect souls (siddhas)

master teachers (acharyas)

scholarly monks (upadhyayas)

ascetics (sadhus)

Arihantas are human beings who have attained keval-jnana, and realized perfect vision, knowledge, power, and bliss. They have preached the religion principles, philosophy of life, and the path of liberation. At the end of their human life they will be totally liberated and will become siddhas.

Siddhas are souls that are completely free from karmic bondage and have attained liberation. Both arihantas and siddhas are the Gods of Jain religions.

At present in the absence of arihantas, ascetics provide the spiritual guidance.

The first step in the process of self-realization is to discard superstitious beliefs and to adopt a rational attitude in life.

Jainism lays down a definitive course of practical moral discipline, contemplation of the highest truth, and reorientation of life in light of these for attaining ultimate reality or truth.

The principle features of Jainism are:

religious tolerance

ethical purity

harmony between self and one's environment

spiritual contentment

Along with other Indian systems, it prescribes a path to liberation (Moksha), which consists of the three jewels (trinity or ratna-traya) of Jainism:

right perception (samyak darsana)

right knowledge (samyak jnana)

right conduct (samyak charitrya)

Right perception creates an awareness of reality or truth, right knowledge impels the person to proper action, and proper conduct leads him to the attainment of the total freedom. They must coexist in a person if one is to make any progress on the path of liberation.

Right Perception (Samyak Darsana):

Right perception consists in seeing the true nature of every substances of the universe. Jainism advocates that one should first try to know, comprehend, and understand the nature of reality, one's own self, religious goal, and the path. One should analyze it, examine it, test it, and verify it, and then, if satisfied, be convinced of its truth and efficacy.

From the practical point of view, perception in the nature of the reality means to have a total faith in the preachings of tirthankars, and their scriptures known as agams.

Right Knowledge (Samyak Jnana):

Right perception or faith makes us realize the reality of life, and the seriousness of our purpose in life. Right knowledge is the true, correct, proper, and relevant knowledge of the reality, the tattvas.

Philosophically, this is known as the theory of non-absolutism (Anekantvada) and calls for an attitude of openness. Our limitations of knowledge dictate a style of relativity. The style of Syadvada allows no room for assertions.

This Jain theory of knowledge, incorporating the two principles of non-absolutism and relativity, has made an esteemed contribution toward liberalizing the mind of human being.

Right knowledge makes us examine in detail the matter brought into the mind by right conviction. Both are mental processes. Right knowledge must be free from three main defects: doubt, delusion, and indefiniteness.

Right Conduct (Samyak Charitrya):

Proper, correct, appropriate, and truly natural conduct of the living being (soul) is known as right conduct.

The main purpose for a human being is to free himself from attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha). That is to be free from all impure activities of thought, word, and deed. This will attain the state of perfect equanimity.

For practical purposes, right conduct comprises ethical codes, rules, and disciplines which an aspirant is required to pursue for the ultimate freedom.

This resolves into taking the five vows of an ascetic or house-holder.

Ahimsa - Non-violence

Satya - Truth

Achaurya - Non-stealing

Brahmacharya - Chastity

Aparigraha - Non-possession/Non-attachment

Right faith and right knowledge are required for right conduct, and all are interdependent.

All aspirants dedicate themselves to proper conduct through vows and subvows. Vows are at the heart of Jain morality and are undertaken with a full knowledge of their nature and a determination to carry them through.

The trinity are necessary for a successful life.

This threefold discipline helps us realize our own intrinsic purity.

The three jewels must be cultivated collectively to ensure liberation. Individually, they are incomplete and insufficient because they are mutually dependent.

In isolation, perception, knowledge or conduct causes conflicts or tensions and vitiates the environment. Collectively, the three jewels produce harmony, contentment, and blissfulness with the progressive march of the soul to higher planes.

Lord Mahavir was the twenty-fourth and the last Tirthankara of the Jain religion.

According to Jain philosophy, all Tirthankaras were born as human beings but they have attained a state of perfection or enlightenment through meditation and self realization. They are the God of Jains.Tirthankaras are also known as Arihants or Jinas.

Tirthankara

One who establishes the four fold order (Monk, Nun, Layman, and Laywoman) of religion.

Arihant

One who destroys his inner enemies like anger, greed, passion, ego, etc.

Jina

One who conquers his inner enemies like anger, greed, passion, ego, etc. The followers of Jina are known as Jains.

Mahavir was born in 599 B.C. as a prince in Bihar, India. At the age of 30, he left his family and royal household, gave up his worldly possessions, including clothing and become a monk.

He spent the next twelve years in deep silence and meditation to conquer his desires and feelings. He went without food for long periods. He carefully avoided harming or annoying other living beings including animals, birds, and plants.

His ways of meditation, days of austerities, and mode of behavior furnish a beautiful example for monks and nuns in religious life. His spiritual pursuit lasted for twelve years.

At the end he realized perfect perception, knowledge, power, and bliss. This realization is known as keval-jnana.

He spent the next thirty years travelling on bare feet around India preaching to the people the eternal truth he realized. He attracted people from all walks of life, rich and poor, kings and commoners, men and women, princes and priests, touchables and untouchables.

He organized his followers, into a four fold order,namely

monk (Sadhu)

nun (Sadhvi)

layman (Shravak)

and laywoman (Shravika)

Later on they are known as Jains.

The ultimate objective of his teaching is how one can attain the total freedom from the cycle of birth, life, pain, misery, and death, and achieve the permanent blissful state of one's self. This is also known as liberation, nirvana, absolute freedom, or Moksha.

He explained that from eternity, every living being (soul) is in bondage of karmic atoms, that are accumulated by its own good or bad deeds. Under the influence of karma, the soul is habituated to seek pleasures in materialistic belongings and possessions. Which are the deep rooted causes of self-centered violent thoughts, deeds, anger, hatred, greed, and such other vices.

These result in accumulating more karma.

He preached that right faith (samyak-darshana), right knowledge (samyak-jnana), and right conduct (samyak-charitra) together will help attain the liberation of one's self.

Jains hold these vows at the center of their lives. The monks and nuns follow these vows strictly and totally, while the common people try to follow the vows as far as their life styles will permit.

At the age of 72 (527 B.C.), Lord Mahavir died and his purified soul left the body and achieved complete liberation. He became a Siddha, a pure consciousness, a liberated soul, living for ever in a state of complete bliss. On the night of his salvation, people celebrated the Festival of Lights (Dipavali) in his honor.

Significant points of the life and teachings of Lord Mahavir.

The spiritual power and moral grandeur of Mahavir's teachings impressed the masses. He made religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual complexities. His teachings reflected the popular impulse towards internal beauty and harmony of the soul.

His message of nonviolence (Ahimsa), truth (Satya), non-stealing (Achaurya), celibacy (Brahma-charya), and non-possession (Aparigraha) is full of universal compassion. He said that,

"A living body is not merely an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the abode of the soul which potentially has perfect perception(Anant-darshana), perfect knowledge (Anant-jnana), perfect power (Anant-virya), and perfect bliss (Anant-sukha)."

Mahavir's message reflects freedom and spiritual joy of the living being.

Mahavir was quite successful in eradicating from human intellect the conception of God as creator, protector, and destroyer.

He also denounced the worship of gods and goddesses as a means of salvation.

He taught the idea of supremacy of human life and stressed the importance of the positive attitude of life.

Lord Mahavir also preached the gospel of universal love, emphasizing that all living beings, irrespective of their size, shape, and form how spiritually developed or under-developed, are equal and we should love and respect them.

Jainism existed before Mahavir, and his teachings were based on those of his predecessors.

Thus, unlike Buddha, Mahavir was more of a reformer and propagator of an existing religious order than the founder of a new faith.

He followed the well established creed of his redecessor Tirthankara Parshvanath.

However, Mahavir did reorganize the philosophical tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times.

Lord Mahavir preached five great vows while Lord Parshva preached four great vows.

In the matters of spiritual advancement, as envisioned by Mahavir, both men and women are on an equal footing.

The lure of renunciation and liberation attracted women as well. Many women followed Mahavir's path and renounced the world in search of ultimate happiness.

In a few centuries after Mahavir's nirvana, Jain religious order (Sangha) grew more and more complex.

There were schisms on some minor points although they did not affect the original doctrines as preached by the Tirthankars.

Later generations saw the introduction of ritualistic complexities which almost placed Mahavir and other Tirthankars on the throne of Hindu deities.

Idol Worship

The idols of twenty-four Tirthankaras in the temple are the same because they represent the quality and virtues of Tirthankaras not the physical body. However, at the bottom of each idol a unique symbol is placed to differentiate them. Lord Mahavir's idol is recognized by the symbol of a lion.

Prayer of Jain religion:

Every day Jains bow their heads and say their universal prayer, the Navkar-mantra. All good work and events start with this prayer of salutation and worship.

Namaskar Mantra

Namo Arihantanam: - I bow to the arithantas - the ever-perfect spiritual victors

Namo Siddhanam: - I bow to the siddhas - the liberated souls

Namo Ayariyanam: - I bow to acharyas - the leaders of the jain order

Namo Uvajjayanam: - I bow to upadhyayas - the learned preceptors

Namo Loe Savva Sahunam: - I bow to all saints and sages everywhere in the world